Simone Suzanne Kussatz, at The Blogs

Dec 9, 2024, 7:36 AM

Reopening of Notre Dame and Tomas Van Houtryve

Last weekend, Paris marked the grand reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, a momentous occasion for the city and the world. Situated on Île de la Cité, this iconic Catholic cathedral—a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture—was constructed over 800 years ago....

Oct 29, 2024, 6:48 PM

‘Überraschen Lassen’ – VHS Stuttgart

Artworks from the current group exhibit "Überraschen Lassen" at the VHS Stuttgart. Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

Last Saturday, the art gallery at VHS Stuttgart opened the group exhibition "Überraschen Lassen / Let Yourself Be Surprised," featuring works by artists from the KreativWerk Höfingen, an inclusive art studio in Leonberg that supports artists with disabilities and...

Sep 13, 2024, 6:55 PM

80 Years After Le Havre’s Liberation

Commemorating the Liberation Yesterday, September 12, Le Havre marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation. President Emmanuel Macron, invited by Le Havre’s mayor Edouard Philippe, a potential successor, paid tribute to a city that had been completely destroyed by the...

Sep 10, 2024, 5:10 AM

Rebecca Cheptegei: Tragic End After The Olympics

Marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei during the Paris Olympics 2024 as she was passing the Modern Art Museum and Palais de Tokyo. Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

Last Friday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that a sports venue would be named in honor of Rebecca Cheptegei, the Paris Olympic marathon runner from the Uganda-Kenya border who represented Uganda. Tragically, Rebecca lost her life under horrifying circumstances...

Sep 8, 2024, 4:40 PM

In Memoriam: British Pop Artist Derek Boshier

The art world mourns the loss of Derek Boshier, one of the pioneering figures of British pop art. I was fortunate to know Derek personally through my work as an art critic in Los Angeles. One of my fondest...

Aug 28, 2024, 9:14 PM

Discovering the Works of Louise Barbu

This is an image from Louise Barbu's exhibition "La Joie S'Ecrit in Bagnoles de l'Orne in Normandy. Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz/ARETE

I was introduced to Louise Barbu (1931-2021) earlier this summer at the Centre d'Animation et des Congrès in Bagnoles de l’Orne in Normandy, where I unexpectedly encountered her retrospective, "La Joie S’Écrit," displayed in the ground-floor exhibition room. This...

Aug 24, 2024, 11:31 PM

Paris Olympics 2024 – An Epiphany

Here I was, a passionate freelance art critic, cyclist, and avid Olympic enthusiast, thrilled to be at the Paris Olympics 2024, watching the cycling road races near the Eiffel Tower. The atmosphere was electric; the crowd was jubilant, and...

Aug 3, 2024, 6:59 PM

From Monrepos Open Air to the Olympics 2024

The Parisian police officer Laure Lucas and her colleague riding on Ile aux Cynges towards the Statue of Liberty in Paris during the Olympics. Photo credit: ARETE / Simone Suzanne Kussatz

First of all, I need to correct a minor error from my previous article on the Monrepos Open-Air event. I wrote in the last paragraph, "Castle Monrepos with its lake we also a place he used to visit," when...

Jul 26, 2024, 12:01 AM

The Monrepos Open Air: A commentary

Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra at the Monrepos Open Air. Photo credit: ARETE / Simone Suzanne Kussatz

With tropical temperatures and humidity, sounds from across the Atlantic, and a jaw-dropping performance at the Monrepos Open Air during the Schlossfestspiele in Ludwigsburg, Germany, the evening was directed by the remarkable Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra. She...

May 27, 2024, 11:10 AM

Joe Neill’s chimeric cathedrals

Artist Joe Neill in front of his work at his exhibition at the American University of Paris. Photo credit: ARETE / Simone Suzanne Kussatz

Last Wednesday, I attended the vernissage of Joe Neill’s latest exhibition, "Drawings, Something Old, Something New," at the American University of Paris, where he has been teaching art since 1999. Joe Neill’s art is characterized by intricate representations of industrial...

About Me

Simone Suzanne Kussatz was born in Germany, lived in the US for 25 years, spent a year in China, and currently resides in France. Educated at Santa Monica College, UCLA, and the Free University of Berlin, she interned at the American Academy in Berlin. Holding a Master's in American Studies, journalism, and psychology, she worked as a freelance art critic in Los Angeles. World War II history fascinates her, influenced by her displaced grandparents and her father's childhood in Berlin during the war, and his escape from East Berlin in 1955. Her brother's intellectual disabilities and epilepsy added a unique perspective to her life.